Washing and drying apparatus



mh 21, w39. F J, @UGH 2,151,354

WASHING AND DRYING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 7, 1935 2 Sher-Jts-Sheee*L l ATTRNEY.

March 2i, w39. F. J. @SUCH WASHING AND`DRYING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 7, 1935 I N VE NTOR, www@ daf/ffy ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Francis John Osuch, Detroit. Mich., assigner to Robot-Hand Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 7, 1935, Serial No. 43,875

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for washing and drying dishes, clothes and the like.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved apparatus for washing dishes of the type including a compartment for the storage of objects to be washed and arranged to force the washing fluid into said compartment at the top and at predetermined elevations about the sides of the compartment through apertures too large to permit clogging and at sufficient velocity that various streams overlap, to thus insure the proper contact of the streams of washing fluid with the objects to be washed and with the proper velocit for thoroughly cleansing same.

Another object is to make provisions in the aforesaid apparatus for circulating a. heating fluid in contact with the washed objects to accelerate the drying thereof.

Another object of my invention is to construct the aforesaid apparatus in such a manner that it may be readily converted for use in connection with the washing of clothes, and to provide operating mechanism therefore which may be selectively controlled for various operating movements suitable for either the washing of dishes ,or clothes, as desired. i

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical view in cross section of an apparatus embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View of a vertical cross section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 as modified for performing additional washing functions embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the impeller embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 6 is a view taken along the line 6-6 'of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are views of the electric circuits used in conjunction with the control apparatus for controlling the operation of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral designates a tub. The tub 20 may be placed in the bottom portion of a sink or drain board 2 l. Preferably, the tub 20 is cylindrical in shape and is providedwith an inwardly directed portion 23 at the lowerpart thereof, which is formed by sloping the lower'part of the tub inwardly so as to provide sloping sides for the tub 20. By so sloping the tub inwardly as at 23, there is provided a bottom portion 25, which is of lesser diameter than the upper portion of the tub 20.

Within the tub 20 there is provided a disc shaped impeller 2l which is positioned in the 5 lower part of the tub and is of the centrifugal type, for forcing water upwardly about the sloping portion 23 and to the top of the tub 20. The impeller 2l is actuated by means of a motor 29 through the medium of a clutch mechanism 30. w

Preferably, the tub 20 is closed by an insulated lid 32 at the top thereof. The lid 32 may be bodily lifted from the tub or the same may be hinged to the member 2 I, as desired. Also, within the tub, there is provided a sheath 34 which u is'preferably cylindrical in shape and is arranged to divide the interior of the tub into a fluid passage zone 35 and a fluid Washing zone 36. As will be noted, the sheath 34 is spaced from the inner peripherial edge of the tub 20 and is provided with a plurality of louvers 38 which are formed to provide graduated openings 39, that is, the lowermost louver 38 extends within the fluid passage zone 35 a relatively short distance as compared with the uppermost louver 38, which extends laterally into the fluid passage zone a greater distance. 'I'his arrangement is provided so that when the impeller forces washing fluid upwardly adjacent the inner peripheral edge of the tub 20, some of the washing fluid will be directed intol the Washing zone 36 through the lowermost louver, and since each of the succeeding louvers from the bottom to the top of sheath 34 is progressively extended further into the fluid passage zone, a portion of the washing fluid will be directed into the washing zone from the fluid passage zone through the louvers 38. Thus, it will be noted that the sheath 34 provides for conducting portions of washing fluid into the washing zone throughout variousk places in the fluid passage zone so as to direct the flow of washing fluid into the washing zone at predetermined points throughout the fluid passage zone. In order to take care of the washing fluid which is directed through the fluid passage zone 45 and above the uppermost louver 38, I have provided van arcuately formed baille 40 which is provided with supports 42. The supports 42 are notched as at 44 so as to be supported by the sheath 34 so that the baille 40 is properly spaced 50 fron` the sheath 34 to permit the flow of washing fluid therebetween. The baille 40 is provided with an insulating member 46 which is adapted' to be engaged by the lid 32 for holding the baille 40 in position during the washing action which takes place within the tub 2D. Within the tub 20 and within the inner diameter of the sheath 34 there is provided a supporting rack 50 for sup porting dishes on various planes. In general, the rack 5|] comprises vertically disposed wires 5l and horizontally disposed wires 52, 53 and 54. The lowermost Wire 52 is in the form oi* reverse bends so as to support plates and the litre, and the intermediate wire 53 is formed so as to provide a rack for supporting additional riisl'les, and the uppermost rack 54 is provided for holding the smaller articles, such as cups. The supporting rack 50 may be of any partlcularl counguratlon and is designed so that the objects which sup-n ported thereby are .in alignment with various louvcrs 3E so that washing iluirl wlflich is directed into the iluid Washing zone 3E is directed to all parts of the objects to he washed with. suiilcient velocity to properly cleanse the objects.

Within a device of the type hereinhefore de" scribed, the impellcr tl will set up suhlcier tion so as to force the Washing illulli about 20 through the Iluid passage cone into t.. A l washing zone with suiicient velocity to propo y cleanse the objects to be Washed. By so co trolling the flow of Washing by means of the sheath 34 and the graduated louvers 38, it is posu sible to direct the flow of Washing huid to any desired point Within the iluid washing cone Also, by .moans of a baille 40, the washing fluid which does not pass through the louvers 3B directed into the top portion of the Washing cone. By this arrangement, it is possible to direct streams oi washing fiuid through the louvers t8 and into the top of the Washing zone by means ci' the baille 40 in such a manner that various streams overlap and have a tendency to rliiluse the Water so that all parts of thc objects to washed are thoroughly contacted with the Washing fluid with suicient velocity to thoroughly cleanse same. During the Washing action dirt particles are freed from the objects, and in order to prevent the recirculation of the dirt particles, a screen 55 is provideda 'Thun will he noted that the washing iluid is directed 'upwardly by the centrifugal iinpeller 21 about the inner peripheral edge of the tub 20 "whence some of the washing iluid is by--passed into the Washing zone through the louvers 38, and the remainder' ci the Washing iluid is directed into the interior of the washing zone about the top thereof by means of the baille 40. The washing uid so directed into the Washing zone is collected, after it contacts with 'the objects to be washed, in the lower part of the sheath 34 whence it passes through the screen 55 and is recirculated by the lmpeller 2l. Preferably, this water action is set up by operating impeller 21 with a. rotary motion.

In the event it is desired to wash clothes and the like in the tub 2li, all that is necessary to remove the sheath 34, baille and rack and in their place substitute an impeller iii), as shown in Fig. 2. Preferably. the inipellerll is so de signed as to be placed over the irnpelle;` til and is provided with a socket F2 for receiving the upu permost end 63 of shaft Bil. When this substitum tion is made, the clutch mechanism is operated so as to provide rotary reciprocatory movement of the impeller 6B. By this type of movement, the agitator, or impeller 60, is arranged for mov ing back and forth so as to set up an upward movement of the nuid within the tub 2li so as to keep the fabrics which are being washed in a state of substantial suspension throughout the washing action thereof.

,llt and :movable clutch element ofi.

In the event that it is desired to heat the water in the tub 20, for either the Washing of dishes and the like, or clothes, I have provided a heating element 5l which extends from the lower part oi' the tub upwardly to adjacent the upper part thereof. 'The heating element is so arranged that when only o. small amount of Water is being used ior the washing of dishes and the lilte, the carne will properly heat the water ior washing the dishes, and is also arranged that the vfater moving upwardly in the iiuirl rflssage zone M is being heated bei'ore it is directed into the liiuid Washing zone. in the washing oi clothes Where a large amount oi1 Water is necessary, the heating element will function to liv t the water substantially to the upper part oli' i' that under either condition when clothes or dishes are to be Washed, the proper amount of water will he heated to the desired temperature. order to prevent the transfer of heat from the hee ing element ill to the room in which the appel is installed, have provided insulation "lil wh. ,A completely st...rounds the tub 2B.

liu thc event that a ready supply ci he Water is available, the same may be introduced into the tub through the uppermost part tlriercoil and under these conditions the heating element is unnecessary. However, Where a ready supply of heated is not available, the electric heat element will adequately take care oi heating water for Washing the dishes or clothes.

.litter the washing action oi' either dishes or clothes has been completed and it is desired to drain the tuo 20 of washing fluid, l. have provided a suitable drain 14 lor permitting the water to be drained irorn the tub 20. In order to control the .new oi water through the drain lt, l have provided valve 15 which is operated by means ci lever 'Il' through connecting wires lil. Freierably, the lever TI is located above the drain board 2i.

Assume now that the dishes in the rack lill have been suitably Washed and that the water from the tub til has been conducted through drain ll. .llt tl time it may be desired to rinse the dishes which have been so Washed and after rinsed the rinsing water is conducted through the drain "i4, ln order to accelerate the drying oi the rinsed dishes, the heating element El may be placed in circuit with the electric circuit so as to heat the fluid passage zone 35. At r this time the impeller 21 may be set in to motion so as to circulate air upwardly through the fiuid passage rone 34 into the Washing zone 36. By this arrangement, the heated fluid is continuously circulated between the fluid passage and the washing zones so as to accelerate the drying of the dishes supported by the rack 5D.

The clutch, mechanism 3l! which is used for cont; g the operation oi' the iinpeller means comprises, in general., a shaft lill, gear ill, pulley The gear tl is operatively connected with motor lit by means oi' motor shaft Bl, driving-Wheel, 5t, rod il@ and gear rack 90. Pulley 83 is operatively connected with motor 29 by means of pulley 92 and belt 93. By means of a movable clutch element Bil, the gear Si ancl pulley 83 may be selectively connected tc the shaft 8h. The movable .clutch element 8i is connected to the shaft by means oi flutes 94 on shaft Btl and projections 95 on the interior part of the element B4. This type of connection permits the movable clutch element to be slid longitudinally oi the shaft B0 but prevents relative lateral movement about the shaft 80.

lill

The movable clutch element 84 is provided with a plurality of teeth 99 and |00. By moving the element 84 upwardly, the teeth 99 are adapted to engage teeth |02 of gear 8|, and a movement downwardly of element 84 will cause the teeth |00 to engage teeth |04 of pulley 83. When the clutch element 84 is moved upwardly to engage gear 8|, the members 88 and 89 effect a reciprocatory movement of the gear rack 90 to thus rotary reciprocate gear 8i. When this takes place, the shaft 80 is moved in a rotary reciprocatory movement. This is particularly desirable when clothes are being washed in the apparatus. When the movable clutch element 84 is moved downwardly to engage the pulley wheel 83, the pulley 92 and belt 93 effect a continuous rotary motion of the shaft 80 and this action is particularly desirable when dishes and the like are to be washed in the device shown in Fig. 1. In order to control the movement of the clutch element 84, I have provided levers ||0 and Preferably, the lever H0 is pivoted as at |12 and includes a yoke-shaped extension H4 which is adapted to surround the clutch element 84 and is provided with rollers ||8 adapted to be received within recess |20 of the element 84. A handle |25 is provided for actuating levers ||0 and l. The handle |25 is adapted to be placed in one of three positions, namely; |26, |21 and |28. When placed in position |26 the clutch element 84 is in neutral position, and even though the motor 29 is operating the shaft 80 will not be operated.

element` 84 engages gear 8| or pulley 83, respectively, so as to effect operation of the shaft 80. During periods when the clutch element is placed in a neutral position |26, the motor, although operating, merely rotates pulley 83 and gear 8| about the shaft 80 without effecting any driving connections.

The centrifugal impeller may be of the type disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5. Any suitable size of this type impeller may be used. The impeller includes a disc shaped base |30 and upstanding central portion |32, which is provided with a recess |33 for receiving the upper end 63 of the shaft 80. The impeller also includes arcuate blades |35.

In the event it is desired to operate the electric heating element 61 for heating the water in the tub 20, I have provided means for automatically controlling the operation of the heating element,

which means also effects the operation of theelectric motor for driving the impeller. The automatic means consists of a bl-metallic thermostat |40 and a thermal element |42, both of which are in close relation to the outer periphery of the tub. As shown in Fig. 7, there is disclosed a motor circuit |45 and a. heating element circuit |48. When the water is placed into the tub 20 and it is desired to heat the water, all that is necessary is to close switch |48 and heating element 61 is placed in circuit with power mains |50. After the element 61 has heated the water to a predetermined degree, the bi-metallic element |40, which is responsive to changes in temperature of the water, is adapted to break the electric circuit throughout the heating element so as to prevent further operation of the heating element 61. Just prior to the time when the water reaches a predetermined temperature, the thermal element |42, which is also responsive to changes of the water, is adapted to complete the circuit to the electric motor 29 through the motor circuit 145. The thermal element |42 includes a thermal `element proper |50 which is adapted to control contacts |5|. Thus, the motor 29 is adapted to start operation a brief period before the electric heatingv element discontinues operation. After the circuit to the heating element is interrupted, the thermal element |50 maintains the contacts 45E closed until the washing action is completed, which is only for a short duration, and before the Water reaches a predetermined low temperature. Thus, all that is necessary is to close switch |48 and the water will be heated until it reaches a predetermined temperature where thermal element |42 will operate to initiate operation of the motor 29, which will continue operation until the washing action is completed, after which the thermal element |42 will automatically interrupt the circuit to the motor 29. Thus, the washing action is substantially automatic. In the event that it is desired to operate the motor 29 without the heating element 61, I have provided .an auxiliary switch which may be closed to complete the circuit through the electric motor 29, irrespective of the function of the thermal elements |40 and |42.

In Fig. 8 there is disclosed a modified form of electric circuit connections, which includes heating element 61, motor 29 and a pair of switches and |6|. When it is desired to operate the motor 29 Without the heating element 61, the switch |60 is closed. When it is desired to operate the heating element 61 irrespective of the motor 29, the switch |6I is closed. By closing each of the switches |60 and |6| it is possible to operate the heating element 61 and motor 29 simultaneously.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that I have provided an improved device for washing and drying dishes, and also for washing clothes. It will also be noted that I have arranged for directing the washing uid into contact with all parts of the objects to be washed and that this washing fluid is directed through relatively large openings which are too large to permit clogging of the washing fluid, and that the fluid is directed therethrough with sumcient velocity to properly cleanse the objects. It will also be noted that I have provided for setting up a circulatory movement of a drying fluid which is heated to accelerate drying of the objects.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to' those skilled in the artthat various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

I claim: l

A dish washing machine comprising a. tub adapted to contain a washing fluid, dividing means positioned in said tub to provide washing and fluid passage zones, said dividing means including louvered by-pass means positioned at various elevations with smaller louvers at the bottom than at the top, and means for forcing a portion of said washing fiuid through said fluid passage zone into said washing zone and the remainder through said louvered hy-pass means into said washing zone.

FRANCIS JOHN OSUCH.

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